Happy Valentine's my ass
by Ichiro Kazuyama
Summary: It's Valentine's day, but things take a merciless wrong turn for Ichigo as some of his biggest secrets get out...


Let it be known that Kurosaki Ichigo did not keep a diary.

What was so great about keeping one anyway? You'd write down your daily mishaps, gossip and all kinds of things that you already _know_ would make you wish you were dead if anyone managed to take a peek and read. It was a disaster waiting to happen. It certainly wasn't manly. It was silly. And on top of it all, it was girls' thing. No boy in his right mind would keep something so trivial and pointless as a diary.

Therefore, Kurosaki Ichigo did _not_ keep a diary. Definitely not. Nu-uh. It would've never been a checkered notebook either. And it most certainly wouldn't have been shoved in the back of his desk drawer, cleverly labeled as 'math.'

Still yawning, Ichigo crept out of his room to grab a shower before his classes would start. His sisters were already downstairs, Yuzu preparing breakfast; he'd make it just in time if he hurried. But just as he reached the bathroom, something almost knocked him off his feet. Ready to throw his over energetic dad down the stairs, Ichigo was about to shout when he recognized the form at his feet.

"Rukia, don't run in the house like crazy," he sighed and pulled the girl to her feet. Really, the girl never seemed to never seemed to care much about it either as she brushed herself of dirt and threw Ichigo a look of annoyance.

"Watch where you're going, then," she hissed and stomped off towards her room, leaving the teen watch her retreating back and shake his head as he entered the bathroom for the intended shower.

She never really understood the girl. While Yuzu and Karin were easy to read, Rukia seemed to have built all kinds of defenses around her. She always barked back at Ichigo when the teen asked her something. The only times she was nice to him was when she needed something, like a loan or a favor from the boy. Sure, he somewhat understood the grudge as Rukia was his step-sister from his mother's side before Masaki had, after a fling that gave birth to Rukia, finally married Ichigo's dad. Ichigo hadn't been older than three at the time, not understanding why his mom and dad were careful when talking nor why his mom drove off for weekends twice a month. It was much, much later when he learned he even had a step-sister. When his mom died, Rukia had been initially raised with her grandparents but as they grew older, it became hard for them to raise a blooming teenager so Rukia moved to the Kurosaki residence.

Needless to say, it didn't go swiftly and as smooth as intended.

On day one, Rukia had clearly announced she hated the place and the people living in there, making Yuzu run into her room, crying.

On day two, she managed to get Isshin weeping by saying all doctors are perverted creepers.

Day three, and she had thrown a fit when Ichigo had told her to keep the noise down as it disturbed his studying from across the hall when Rukia played her CDs as loud as the stereo would allow.

Surprisingly, or not, Karin had been the only one she hadn't managed to rile up or majorly piss off. Then again, Karin had always been the most composed one on the family.

Gradually, she had calmed down and was sometimes even polite. Ichigo had witnessed it himself as she was chatting with the twins casually and helped Yuzu with the dishes after meals. As odd as it sounded, however, she never really accepted Ichigo as an older brother, something the teen suspected having to do with how she was only a year older than the twins. And after a while, Ichigo just accepted it as it was.

Leaving the bathroom to get dressed, he stumbled upon the unexpected as Rukia was there, spinning on his chair and apparently still unaware of the owner of the room now present.

"Outta my room, midget," he half-heartedly grunted, diving into his closet for a clean shirt. Turning around when he found the item, she was still there. "Out," he pointed towards the door, frowning when she hopped off the chair and bounced towards him.

"Iiiichiiii," she drawled out, looking up with a pout, "can you do something for me?"

Raising an eyebrow, Ichigo briefly wondered what she wanted now; last time it had been to borrow money so she could buy a huge rabbit plush, and Ichigo was done hoping she'd ever pay back for it. "What do you want?" he finally asked.

"Can you write me a note?"

"Wha- You skipped class again?"

"So what if I did? It's boring to sit there all day long, and you know it." She was close to fuming now. Sighing, Ichigo gently shoved her towards the door.

"No, I will not write you a note," he dryly said, shaking his head. "If you skip, I won't lie for you."

"But-" she started but seeing the determined look the teen was giving her, stopped. Fine!" she stomped her foot and glared at the teen. "Some brother you are..." she called out while stomping off, making sure Ichigo would hear her.

Ichigo actually felt tired; it was the same accusations every time on how lousy he was. It stung, because he would've done anything for his sisters, but forging signatures was something he refused to do. If Rukia wanted to skip classes, it'd be her problem.

Finishing getting dressed and his hair dry again, Ichigo headed downstairs, greeting the twins and sitting down for breakfast. Briefly, he wondered where the midget was but decided he really didn't care that much; knowing Rukia, she'd be fuming for days...

Finishing his meal, Ichigo politely thanked Yuzu and put the dishes in the sink. Grabbing his bag at the door, he was, once again, almost run over as a flash rushed past him. He gave up wanting to shout as he recognized the flash as his step-sister. But where was she in so much hurry to get to?

As Ichigo entered the school building, he couldn't find his usual classmates hanging out in the hallways as usual. Once he noticed a few of them, he frowned as his greetings met with half-hearted waves and whispers as soon as his back was to them. The closer he got to his home classroom, an odd feeling slowly crept up: every encounter with someone he knew, he met widened eyes and loud whispers; some even pointed fingers as he walked past.

"So messed up..."

Something was very wrong, he was sure of it when the new kid whose name he didn't remember went past him, turned, and then said something that made Ichigo wince at the statement.

"You're fucked in the head, Kurosaki."

Only when Orihime approached and handed him a small card tied to a heart-shaped chocolate with a chirp of ' happy Valentine's, Kurosaki-kun', his anxiety calmed down for a bit. So it was Valentine's Day, huh. Politely thanking the girl, Ichigo watched her run away the next second, furiously blushing. He really didn't understand girls at all.

Upon the classroom door, he stopped. The voices coming from inside were muted, but he could pick up some words. His stomach made a turn.

Pulling the door open with more force than needed, Ichigo stared at his friends who instantly shut up. Grouped together at the window, they seemed to be in the middle of something, and squinting, Ichigo's stomach turned cold when he recognized a familiar, checkered notebook in their hands. Behind the group, he finally noticed his step-sister, victoriously grinning at him.

Instantly, he remembered the previous night when he had made an entry about a certain redhead always plaguing his thoughts, his dreams, doing the most explicit things to him, his hot mouth making Ichigo gasp, wanting to pull at the long, red strands. The very same redhead he now saw hunched over, reading and finally taking notice of the teen.

The unmistakable Abarai Renji that Ichigo was still not ready to confess to.

It couldn't have been more than a second, but for Ichigo, it seemed like an eternity. The redhead eyed him warily and all Ichigo could see was shamed fury, anger of betrayal building up aimed at him. When the redhead opened his mouth to say something, Ichigo beat him to it. "Save it," he forced out. His insides ready to burst out and make a bloody mess, he turned on his heel and fled.

Let it also be known that Kurosaki Ichigo didn't smoke. Being a doctor's son, he knew how the nicotine killed his lungs. He'd seen people coughing so hard he feared they'd cough their guts out. It seemed so disgusting. Therefore, he didn't smoke.

In fact, he didn't smoke so much, that when he saw a couple of kids younger than him somehow tricking the smokes' machine into giving them a pack, he made his way there and grabbed the pack. Barking about how smoking was bad for them, he left, and two streets later, leaning against a wall, he lit a cigarette.

Inhaling, he let out a cough when the smoke hit his lungs, going down with a burning sensation in his throat. He still didn't understand what was so great about smoking in the first place. Puffing the cancer stick, no longer coughing as he found the burn strangely pleasing, he watched the gray smoke lazily floating upwards, away. He was calm now. Also, the serenity allowed him to think clearly.

So that's why Rukia had been in such a hurry to get to school before him.

What for? To humiliate him? To break his friendships? Pulling out the chocolate and the card Orihime had given him before, Ichigo watched the items in his hand before heaving out a long sigh. 'Happy Valentine's, dear Kurosaki-kun', the card read in Orihime's slightly crooked handwriting. Renji would probably avoid him from now on. Hell, he might as well give up on the thought of even talking it out with the redhead.

Switching schools had never sounded so appealing.

Briefly going over the events that had enrolled, Ichigo remembered the pleased look on Rukia's face. Why'd she do something like that anyway? Did she really hate him ithat/i much, or was there something more? Did she ilike/i like Renji? Come to think of it, Yuzu had mentioned Rukia having a romantic interest in someone few weeks ago. Could it really have been...Renji?

Crumpling the card and the chocolate in his hand, Ichigo let out a curse. This was so fucked up. Plus, he had to face everyone later on eventually.

Happy Valentine's my ass.


End file.
